#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCANDAL
A Charter School Faced Another Allegation of Endangering Children
A Granada Hills Charter School employee alleges that he was fired after advising the leadership of a potential hazard at its facilities.
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- OSHA
Asbestos “fibers are extremely durable and resistant to wear.” They do not “burn or catch fire” making it seemingly “ideal for high-heat and fire-risk applications.” In the post World War II economic boom, asbestos use increased substantially as it was used in everything from cars to construction materials, introducing these fibers “into American homes, schools, offices, and factories.”
As corporate America profited off the use of this “magical material”, they ignored evidence “about health risks from long-term exposure to asbestos fibers”, hiding negative “scientific findings for decades”. By the 1980’s the evidence could no longer be ignored and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) severely restricted the commercial use of asbestos.
Fortunately, asbestos in buildings built before the ban poses little risk to humans as long as it is not disturbed. However, a severe risk does exist if for any reason a disturbance causes exposure to the fibers. According to OSHA, “there is no ‘safe’ level of asbestos exposure.”
The former Pinecrest campus that Granada Hills Charter purchased for $5.6 million in 2016 was built in 1958. Given the year of its construction, it should be expected that asbestos was used in its building materials. It should, therefore, not be surprising that when a quote was obtained to repair some of the air conditioning units in this facility, it included the cost of moving ceiling tiles “to ensure asbestos would not be disturbed and inhaled by students, teachers, or other staff members.”
